What Harm Wants
by Lexxi
Summary: IT IS FINISHED! REJOICE AND BE THANKFUL!
1. Aunt Mac, that's a pretty ring

**Summary:  Sequel to "What Sarah Wants."  Betcha can't guess who's reading whose thoughts...**

**Disclaimer:  What do you mean the bank won't accept Monopoly money?  Well, I guess that means I'm not making any real cash off this story, so don't sue unless all you want is one of the little shiny pieces...you can't have the dog, though...I like the dog.**

**Author's note:  I recommend you read "What Sarah Wants" before reading this.  I don't really know how much sense this will make if you haven't.  You can find that story by clicking on my name and looking at my profile page.  Oh, by the way, I realize these dates have already passed and we know that Harm and Mac are not engaged, but I'm not concerned with what's going on in the TV right now in regards to this story, because if I did, then a sequel wouldn't fit, now would it?  **

Okay, I think I've found my off switch!  Now I can just turn mysel... *falls out of chair...switched back on by a reluctant roommate...resumes typing*

**_Harm's Apartment_**

**_Saturday, February 15_**

**_0824 est_**

**_(Mac's POV)_**

Mm...I'm so comfortable.  I don't ever want to get up.  Though, judging by the way Harm is holding me, I'm assuming he doesn't want to get moving any time soon, either.  I feel him slightly stirring, and I just keep my eyes shut and snuggle in closer to his warmth.  After he proposed last night, and after I spent a good twenty-one minutes and forty seconds staring alternately between Harm's face, the ring on my left hand, and the embossed rose that he had picked up off the floor from when I had kissed him senseless, we were both too caught up in our emotions to eat the decadent-looking refrigerator cake from Godiva.  So, he put it back in the fridge and we both just went to his room and slept (yes, that's all we did).  

He buries his face in my hair and breathes in deeply, then asks, "What time is it?"  

I respond distractedly, "0824."

"Mm, okay," he replies, then says, "Wait a minute...aren't Bud and Harriet bringing AJ over here in six minutes?"

That gets my attention.  I quickly roll forward, intending on pushing myself up off the bed from my stomach.  That's a mistake.  I roll right off the edge of the bed, whacking my head on Harm's bedside table on the way down.  That hurts.

And the award for most graceful goes to...the woman with the hairline fracture.

I look up, a little dazed, into the concerned face of Harmon Rabb, Jr.  "Mac, are you alright?  I'm sorry, I had no idea we were so close to the edge of the bed.  Can you see alright?  Are you feeling dizzy or anything?  Can you feel your arms and legs?"

"Harm," I interrupt.  His rambling is not helping the headache that's forming...well, actually, it's helping the headache progress quite nicely, but it's not helping me with the...nevermind.  Thinking is giving me a headache.  "I fell off the bed, Harm...I didn't fall out of a tree or the second story window...just the bed.  I'm fine, just a little dazed."  My pride took a harder blow than my head, actually.  

"Okay, I think now would be the time to drop it."  Whoa...that's weird.  I could swear he didn't move his mouth at all.  Maybe I should just let my head clear itself before I try to get up.

"Here, Mac...let's get you up onto the bed again so you can just relax a few minutes.  I don't want you to pass out or anything like that.  I did the same exact thing last week."

"You fell out of bed?" I ask skeptically, half wondering if he's just making that up to make me feel better.

"Yeah.  I rolled over to turn off the alarm clock, and I fell right off the edge of the bed.  Cracked my head on the table the same way you just did.  It hurt like hell."

"That it does," I agree.  Right at that moment, there's a knock at the door, and Harm goes to answer it.  I vaguely hear AJ's ecstatic "Unca Harm" before I get up and go into the bathroom to quickly change into the clothes that are in the overnight bag that Harm had left out on the chair in his room for me.  

I head out into the living room and see Harriet wiping AJ's mouth and hands and...hair.  It seems AJ likes to wear his peanut butter almost as much as he likes to eat it.  She looks up at me as I walk out, and greets me with a "Good morning, Ma'am...uh...I mean, Mac."

"Aunt Mac!"

I'm hit by the three and a half year old tornado, and I almost lose my balance, as I'm still a bit unsteady from my meeting with the bedside stand this morning.

"Oh, AJ, sweetie, please be careful not to hurt Aunt Mac, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy.  Sorry, Aunt Mac."

"It's okay, kiddo.  It's good to see you again."

"Uh-huh!  What are we gonna do today?  Can we get ice cream again?" he asks eagerly, as I pick him up for a hug.

"We'll see," Harm answers him.

Harriet suddenly addresses Harm and me, "So, what did you two do last night?  Did you go out to dinner or anything?"

I set AJ back down and he suddenly blurts out, "Ooh, Aunt Mac, that's a really pretty ring!  Was it a present?"  

"Yikes!"  My head snaps up to meet Harriet's instantly curious expression, resisting the urge to look over at Harm with my finely honed Marine death stare for his outburst.  Harriet doesn't appear to have taken note of it, though, as she quickly walks over to get a closer look at the beautiful diamond ring that could not be taken to symbolize anything other than a proposal of marriage.

She stares at the ring for a full one minute and forty-nine seconds, looking at it from every angle.  Luckily, she doesn't ask to see the inside, because there would be little doubt left in her mind as to whom this ring was from.  On the inside is engraved a linked S and H, followed by the word Eternity.  

"Please don't ask to see the inside, yet."  I stare in disbelief at Harm.  He just talked without moving his mouth, and nobody heard him but me.  He's not looking at me, but staring apprehensively at Harriet.  "Oh, Mac, please don't tell yet.  Let it go for a little bit."  He did it again.  I just heard what he was thinking.  That's impossible.  I'm hallucinating...it must have been the blow to the head.  I think I should probably have that checked out.

Harriet finally looks back up at me, silently asking for an explanation.  Maybe we should let it go for a little...make her sweat.

This could be fun.

Instead of addressing the ring, I completely change the subject, "Harriet, shouldn't you be getting back to Bud?  He must be wondering where you are."  I try to make it sound nonchalant, but I don't know how well I did.

"Good job changing the subject, Mac.  Unfortunately, you picked the wrong person to try and divert when it comes to anyone's personal life."  The man's got a point, even if I am just imagining it.  I can't believe I'm actually listening to Harm's voice in my head...that's when you know you need a vacation.

Harriet has a quick response, "Bud said that he would be back in about forty minutes.  He forgot something at home.  He told me that should give us enough time to talk about how our Friday nights went."  

The last part is very pointed.  I sigh and roll my eyes.

"Okay, okay...I'll tell you," I say in mock resignation.  "There's this guy whom I've been seeing pretty steadily for awhile now."  Well, it's not a lie.  I see Harm almost every day.

Harriet interrupts, "Is it anyone I know?"  She looks deliberately over at Harm, then back to me.

"Hmm...come to think of it, I've never introduced you to him."  Another brilliant misleading truth, if I do say so myself.  Harriet's face instantly transforms.  She looks like a child who has just been informed that Christmas would be cancelled this year.

"Damn!  Now I know why she's such a good lawyer."  Yeah, well, he'd better not forget it, either.

"Anyway, we went out to this really nice restaurant for dinner last night, then we went to a cozy Italian place over where he lives, for dessert, and...that's where he proposed to me."  I can't believe how good that was.  

What?  Harm is Italian.

"I'm in love.  Again."  I can't help the slight blush that creeps up my cheeks, and the tiny smile that pulls at the corners of my mouth.  Okay, so I know my subconscious is playing a really mean trick on me, but for now, I'll just pretend he's thinking those things.

Harriet is just standing in front of me, a look of despair evident in her eyes.  "So...do you think that this...guy...is really the one?  You're really in love with him?"

"Harriet, I have one word for you...soulmate."  

"Soulmate...I love that."

She attempts a small smile, but all she's able to pull off is a sort of grimace, like she has a stomachache or something.  "Wow...that is something.  Well, what's his name?"

"Oh...didn't see that one coming."  Yeah, neither did I.  Damn, I'm talking to myself!

I put on a secretive smile and say, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Harriet's shoulders slump, if possible, even lower than before.  She turns to Harm and says weakly, "I'm assuming you already were aware of the Colonel's...good...news?"

"God, this is so mean...but so much fun."  "Of course!  I knew it first thing this morning."  "It was morning...technically."  "Isn't it amazing that both of us got engaged?"

This is getting kind of freaky.  I could swear that it's really Harm's thoughts I'm hearing, but that's impossible.  Although...I did hit my head pretty hard this morning...

I wonder...

Harriet just stares, open-mouthed.  "You...what, sir?  Both of you?  You mean...you're engaged, too?"

"Yeah.  Oh, Harriet, you have no idea how happy I am.  I took her out to Café Milano, we had a great time, we came back here after awhile, and then I asked her to marry me, and she said yes!  Can you believe it?  She said yes!"  "She said yes!  She said yes!"  Geez, I can almost see him dancing around inside his head...my head...our heads?  Whatever.

"Unbelievable..." Harriet says dreamily.  She's not really focusing on anything anymore.  She sits down in an armchair and glances over at AJ, who is playing with the action figures that he has brought from home.  

There's a knock on the door, and I, being the closest, walk over and open it.  Bud is on the other side, and he grins jovially at me as I invite him inside.  "Hello, Ma'am, Sir," he says, acknowledging Harm and me.  

"Bud, it's Mac and Harm," I tell him.  He just nods his head and walks over to where Harriet is still sitting watching their son play.

"Come on, Honey, we're going to be late," he says to her.  She gets up in a daze and follows him out the door after kissing AJ goodbye and telling him to be good for his godparents.

Harm closes the door and then turns around with the biggest grin on his face.  "Score."

I return his smile with one of my own, then turn my attention to AJ.  "Hey, sweetheart, do you want something to eat?"

"I already had breffist."

Harm speaks up, "Okay, well Mac and I are going to eat breakfast and then we'll decide what we're going to do today, alright?"

"Okay."

"Breffist..."  "Mac, you were brilliant.  There is no way she suspects a thing now.  You certainly know how to twist the truth."

"You weren't so bad yourself, Harm."

"Yeah, but...a 'cozy Italian place'?  Genius!"

"Why, thank you."  I have to agree...that was a good one.

"Oh, and way to completely throw out the question, 'Do I know him?' and give her a totally irrelevant bit about not introducing us.  Priceless.  I wish I'd had a camera when she heard that."  That was my favorite.

"Yeah, no kidding."  Harm starts cracking open eggs while I begin brewing a pot of coffee.

"Oh, uh...Mac, if you look in the fridge on the bottom shelf, you'll find a package of bacon.  Could you get that out for me, please?"

Did he just say bacon?  "Did you just say bacon?"

He looks over his shoulder at me and grins.  "Yes, I said bacon.  Is that a problem?  Because I don't have to make it if you don't want any.  God knows I wouln't touch it."

"No, no... I like bacon.  I just didn't think that I would ever catch you with anything remotely resembling dead animal in your kitchen."

"Unca Harm, I'm hungry."  I jump at the sound of AJ's voice.  I didn't even hear him come up behind me.

"I thought you just ate breakfast," Harm answers.

"I did, but I'm hungry again."

"Alright.  You like scrambled eggs, right?  And bacon?"

"Yeah!  Mm...bacon.  Yummy!"  He jumps up and down to emphasize his love of bacon.

Harm laughs, "Okay, okay... I get it.  You like bacon.  I'll make you some, and it should be done in about ten or fifteen minutes," he pauses and looks up at me, "that is, if Mac would get it out of the refrigerator some time today..."

I roll my eyes at him and move over to the fridge to get the bacon.  AJ retreats from the kitchen, no doubt going back to his toys.  I pull the package from the bottom shelf and walk over to Harm and wave it in front of his face.

"Keep doing it, Marine, and you'll find yourself in trouble."  Ooh, what kind of trouble, I wonder?  I think I'll test the boundaries.  I continue to wave it in his face, and he grabs my wrist...not forcefully, just enough so that I can't wriggle free.  He takes the bacon out of my hand and turns around to face me, one eyebrow raised challengingly.  He then gently pushes me to walk backwards, until I'm trapped between the kitchen counter and him...and I can't think of a single place I'd rather be.  Well, maybe if it was between him and the bed...or maybe I should stop thinking things like that with the young Master Roberts around.

Instead of voicing that last thought, I say, "Uh-oh, Harm...what are you gonna do?"  I try to make it sound as seductive as possible...let him squirm a little.

"Mac, if we didn't have our godson here right now..."  "I don't know...maybe I should teach you a lesson or something.  It's bad manners to wave meat in front of a vegetarian like that.  It's in the rules."

I laugh, "What rules?  Who wrote them and where can I get a copy?"

"They're unspoken rules, Mac," he takes the same tone one would use when explaining something to a child, "it's kind of like values and morals...it's a matter of principle..."

"What's a matter with the principal, Unca Harm?  Did my school call you?  Why are you holding Aunt Mac like that?  Is she in trouble?"  He takes a breath, "Are you gonna send her to the principal?"

Caught again by the prying AJ Roberts.  He definitely takes after his mother in that regard.

"Oh, no, sweetie...Harm wasn't talking about your principal.  He was talking about when you believe in something and you stand up for it...that's principle.  Oh, I don't really know how to explain it."

"It's okay, Aunt Mac...I think I know."  I smile down at him.  He really is a smart kid.

"So, buddy, what d'you need?" Harm asks.

"Oh, uhmm...I was just wondering if I could have some juice.  Pleeeeeeaaaaase?"

"I'll get it, Harm," I say before he can make a move towards the fridge, "you just keep working on those eggs."

He grins wickedly.  "I would, but we still have another year and three months before that's supposed to happen."  Actually, that's not true...we only have until I add a lovely platinum band to go with the lovely platinum engagement ring that already resides on my left ring finger.  Hopefully, that will not take more than a year to happen...although I wouldn't put it past us, considering our track record.

"What are you grinning at, Flyboy?  Did I say something funny?"

AJ laughs out loud at this.  "Aunt Mac, did you just call Unca Harm a fly boy?  He's not a fly, he's a pilot!  You guys are funny."

Harm and I look at our godson in amusement, then Harm steps back and goes to the fridge and grabs another egg, as well as the fruit punch that he bought in anticipation of AJ's visit.  He passes me the juice, then turns back to his previous task of making breakfast.  I grab the kiddie cup that Harriet brought over with AJ and pour juice into it.  Although, if he spills it this time, Harm's hardwood floor is much easier to clean.  My beige rug still has a noticeable pink spot from last weekend. 

I hand AJ the cup after making sure the lid is on tight.  "Thank you, Aunt Mac.  When will breffist be ready?"

I smile at him and say, "You'll have to ask Harm, I'm not the one cooking."

"Unca Harm, when will breffist be ready?"

"Uhh...it should be done in about ten minutes if Mac stops distracting me."

"Aunt Mac, stop 'stracting Unca Harm.  I'm hungry."

"Alright, I'll just go into the living room, then, if you don't need my help."  I start to walk out of the kitchen, but Harm cuts me off at the archway.

"I'm...sure you staying won't be a problem," he says with a small smile playing at his lips, flashing just enough of his beautiful pearly whites to make me forget for a moment what I'm doing.

I do manage to remember where I am and who is watching both of us with the immense curiosity.  We both glance down at our audience of one, and he rolls his eyes at us and says, "You guys are so weird," then walks away to the living room.

I look back at Harm, and the both of us just start to laugh.  He again goes back to scrambling the eggs and I just perch myself on top of the counter opposite him, watching him work...or what I can see of it from behind.  I semi-consciously play with the newest addition to my left hand as I stare at his back.  

He turns around once everything's started cooking.  We just stare at each other for a minute, neither saying anything, and nothing to be heard from his mind.  I guess guys really don't think about much.  Finally, though, he says, "So, what do you think we could do today?  I've never taken AJ for an entire weekend."

"Neither have I.  What do you think?"

He just shakes his head and stares down at my bare feet.  My toes are painted the same color as my fingernails...a nice wine color that matches the dress that I wore last night perfectly.  Harm's eyes travel back up to my face...albeit slowly, as they take a pit stop at my hips, then another at my...well, right below my face, anyway.  I've gotten over those looks...he's a guy.  'Nuff said.

I jump down off the counter as he reaches around me to wash his hands.  I lean back with my elbows supporting me, and I know that my shirt is creeping up and exposing my stomach, but I don't really care.  In fact, I almost hope Harm notices.  

He finishes washing his hands and looks for a hand towel.  I grab it off the counter behind me and hand it to him, and only when I resume my prior position of propped elbows does he notice.

It's kind of cute, actually.  He turns his head, like an innocent little puppy, and glances at my exposed skin, then looks up at me, one eyebrow raised, looking anything but innocent.  He kneels down in front of me and lifts my shirt up a little more and pretends to scrutinize.

"Wonder how long it'll take her to say something."  Well, I think I'll just make him wait for it.  "Okay, maybe she's just waiting for me to say something."  Very good, Harm.  "Alright, she had her chance..."

"So, Mac...when it comes time...do you honestly think you can get a baby to fit in there?  I mean...there's not much room.  It's a wonder how you can fit all that food you eat," he pauses and looks up at me, my mouth gaping in astonishment.  That is something I was not prepared to hear come out of his mouth.  I kind of like it, though.  He continues, "and then on top of that, you think you're gonna fit a baby in there?"

"Aunt Mac, you're having a baby?"  

"Oh, God."  

"Does that mean I'm gonna have a cousin?"  

Please stop.  

"Is it a boy or a girl?"  

"She's gonna kill me."  

"Are you gonna get married?" 

 Well, funny story...  

"You have to marry someone, 'cause you want your baby to have a mommy and a daddy."  

"Is there an off switch?"

"Unca Harm, I think the breffist is burning."  

"What?"  Huh?

Oh, look at that, it is.  Harm jumps up and scrambles to turn off the stove, then grabs the pans from the burners and dumps them into the sink.  He opens the window right above the sink so that the smoke can clear out.  

AJ just stands there watching, not really showing any sign that he's worried.  In fact, he almost seems as though he's quite familiar with this kind of situation.  His next words confirm it, "Don't feel bad, Unca Harm...Daddy burns stuff all the time.  It's not your fault.  It was an accident."

"Oh, well, thank you, Mr. Roberts.  That makes me feel better," he replies good humoredly.

Harm looks up at me, then we both look down at AJ.  He looks between the both of us and I look back at Harm.

"Guess we're going out to eat."

My thoughts exactly.


	2. Down my shirt

**_1008 est_**

**_February 15_**

**_Denny's, Washington, DC_**

**_(Mac's POV)_**

Now I think I know why AJ is always hungry.  He never eats anything.  It all ends up everywhere else but in his mouth.  I also understand now why Harriet packed two packages of baby wipes.  I think we may need more before this weekend is up.

"So, Harm...I was thinking that maybe we could go to the Maryland Science Center today.  They're playing The Lion King in the IMAX there, and the exhibits they have in the rest of the center are great for kids."

"Ooh, I love The Lion King!  Please can we go, Unca Harm?  Pleeeeeeeaaaase?  I'll be extra good, I promise!"  His little pout is adorable.  I think I'll join in.

"Yeah, Harm...pleeeeeeeaaaase?  I'll love you forever!"  Well, that's a given either way.

"Forever sounds good."  "Well..." he looks back and forth between AJ and me, then says, "alright, I suppose we'll go."

"YAY!  We're going to The Lion King!" AJ squeals.

"_And...," I add, "to the museum after the movie."_

"YAY!  We're going to the museum and The Lion King!"

Our waiter comes to the table at this moment, and looks at AJ and says, "You're going to see The Lion King?  Can I come with?"

AJ looks at him and says, "Uhm...you have to ask your mommy and daddy."

"Oh, I guess that means I can't come, then.  I have to work until five o'clock.  My mom told me so," replies the waiter.  His name is Jim, and he looks to be in his early to mid-thirties.  I only hope he's not still living with his mother.

"Oh," AJ answers.  "Well, maybe you can go some other time."

"I think I will.  Thanks, little man."  He smiles and puts a replacement chocolate milk on the table in front of AJ, taking the empty glass.  "Can I get you folks anything else this morning?"

"Uh, no, just the check, please," is Harm's reply.

"Sure thing.  I'll be back in a jiffy."

Jim leaves and Harm asks AJ, "Are you about ready to go get cleaned up so we can leave for the museum and the movie?"

"Yeah.  I want to see The Lion King!"

"We know," is the reply from both Harm and me.

We both shake our heads, and Harm lifts AJ from the booster seat and sets him down.  He grabs his hand, and I can tell that he instantly regrets it, as he notes the sticky syrup.

"Ick."  I have to fight to stifle my laugh, but in the end, I manage to get away with a small chuckle.  Harm shoots me a sarcastic look accompanied by, "I don't know why you're laughing...you'll be the next one cleaning him up if I have anything to say about it."

Unfortunately for Harm, he doesn't have any say in who cleans AJ up.  It's always Harm, because AJ, in true "big boy" fashion, refuses to enter the ladies' room.  I learned that the last time I offered.  He just simply pointed out to me that he's a boy, and boys don't go in the girls' bathroom.  I'm glad we got that cleared up.  I'm sure the information will come in handy if we have a boy.  Or two.  Hmmm...

While Harm is in the bathroom getting our godson cleaned up, Jim the waiter comes back with the check and says, "Here you are...and may I just say that you have a beautiful family.  Your son is so cute."

"Oh, well, thank you, but he's not my son.  Not our son.  We're not married.  Uh...he's our godson, and we're just watching him this weekend while his mom and dad take a much-needed vacation."  I need a vacation.

"Oh, you're...not married, but you're both his godparents?"

"Well...yeah.  It's not uncommon."

"No, I don't suppose it is.  I just...couldn't help but notice the ring on your finger..."

Oh, he's got me trapped on that one, leaving the unasked question.  "Yes, we're engaged."

He smiles knowingly, nodding his head.  "Well, I wish you both the best of luck and my congratulations."

I smile warmly at him...he really is a nice guy.  Apparently, though, Harm doesn't think so.  

"Back off, mama's boy..."  Oh, well that's totally uncalled for.

"Well, I suppose I should be getting back to the other tables now.  You can just take your check up to the front to pay.  Have a great day, and congratulations, again."

"Thank you, Jim," I reply.  Harm just scowls.

"So...his name's Jim..." Harm starts.

I think I'll play with him a little bit.  "Yes, Harm...that's what it says on his nametag."

"What was he congratulating you for?"

"He was congratulating us."  Harm looks at me, confused.

"Us?"  I flash him the ring, and then he says,  "Oh, us!  Oh..."

"Okay, so I could have been a little nicer.  I mean, c'mon, Hammer...Mac would never go for someone like that anyway...not without knowing him for a little longer than the forty minutes we've been here."  Hmm, close...

Forty-three minutes.  But I guess that's not really important.

Harm leaves a nice tip on the table, and then we make our way to the front counter.  He pays the cashier, and then we head out to the Lexus.   

"Alright, Mac, lead the way...you, uh..._do _know where we're going, right?"

"Of course.  Just follow my lead."

**_1146 est_**

**_Maryland Science Center_**

**_Baltimore, MD_**

We buy the tickets for the 1215 show, then make our way to the concession stand.  Harm and I grab each grab one of AJ's hands, and swing him forward between us after making sure we weren't going to hit anyone.  We get up to the stand and wait in line.  The guy in front of us has a kid with him, who looks to be about four.  It looks like it's dad's weekend with the kid.  Pays child support every month, spends time with him every other weekend.  Doesn't really know what to do with a four year old, so he probably spoils him rotten.

Anyway, said child is running around like a madman, pulling on the tensabarriers and running to the video games, hitting a few buttons, then running back to the tensabarriers.  The man is half-heartedly yelling out to him to come back over here, which indicates to me that this guy doesn't believe for a second that his son will actually listen to him.

The boy all of a sudden notices AJ, and comes running over.  "Hey, AJ, did you come to see The Lion King, too?" the boy asks.

"Yeah," AJ replies, uninterested.  Obviously, AJ knows him.  Apparently, he's a real pain.  

"Cool.  My dad already took me to see it.  I wanted to see it again, though, so we're here today."

"Bradley, don't bother those people...come up here and tell me what you want," the man says.

"Wow...dad of the year."  Yeah...hardly.

Bradley runs to the candy display (pushing a girl of about twelve out of the way in the process) and presses his face into the glass to look at the available selection.  While he's perusing the candy, the man turns to us and says, "Your son is rather well-behaved.  How do you manage to keep him in line?"

"Our son, our son...I think I'll let Mac answer this one."  Gee, thanks.

Actually...

I make sure AJ isn't paying attention, then I say, "We just make sure AJ knows the difference between right and wrong, and how he should behave in certain places.  He gets rewarded for being good, and he gets nothing for being bad."

"He gets _nothing?" the man asks._

"Nothing," I repeat.  He looks at me skeptically.  "It's actually quite effective.  He gets rewarded every time he does something right.  He likes to be rewarded, so he keeps doing well.  He knows that if he's been misbehaving, we won't reward him.  It's really a simple system."

"Not bad, Marine."  Why, thank you, Navy.  "Now it's _my turn."_

Harm adds, "Well, that, and we're both in the military.  I guess we tend to bring military discipline with us whenever we teach him how to act."

"Ahh...military.  Navy?"

"And Marines," I add proudly.

He looks at me incredulously over his glasses.  "_You're in the Marines?"_

"Oh, buddy, you've done it this time."  If I weren't in such a good mood today, he'd probably be feeling Marine verbal whiplash.  As it is...

"Yep, I'm a bona-fide, Semper Fi, mean, green, fightin' Marine."

Harm just laughs beside me.  "Oh, man...that was beautiful.  The Corps must be proud to claim you as one of their own."  Damn straight.

"Well," the man starts, "it's, um...I mean...that is...I've never met a female Marine before.  And, I would've expected someone a little more..." he just looks me up and down and makes vague gestures with his hands, "um...imposing."

"Whoops...definitely wrong answer."  Oh, give me a little more credit.

"You don't think I'm...imposing?" I ask, quirking an eyebrow challengingly.

"Hope this guy has a will already drawn out."

"Well, that's not what I meant.  I just meant that...I thought you'd be, you know...bigger, or something."

"Three strikes, you're out."

"Are you implying, sir, that you believe all Marines to be gargantuan mounds good for nothing apart from intimidation?"

"I think if we call 911 now, he might still have a chance."

This poor guy is literally flinching.  This is so cool.

"No, ma'am, I just thought..."

"You thought...what?"

"Damn, now she's scaring _me."_

He looks over to Harm, silently pleading with his eyes for some kind of help.  Harm just looks back at the man, his own body language letting the guy know that he's merely a bystander.  "Hey, don't look at me...I don't particularly like the taste of my own shoe in my mouth.  Nor would I quite enjoy the sensation of her foot up my six."  A wise decision on Harm's part.

"I...didn't think.  I didn't know what to think."

I try not to smile, really, I do.  But it's just something about this guy.  Maybe it's the look on his face, like he knows he's about to be taken to the guillotines for his execution.  I love being a Marine.

I guess now would be a nice time to calm him down.  I tell him as an off-handed remark, "That's okay, it's a common misconception."

He looks at me stunned, then adopts a kind of lopsided grin, "Well, I know never to mess with a Marine again.  Especially with a female Marine."

Harm says to him, "Definitely a smart choice.  It took me almost seven years to figure that out."

The guy just laughs and turns to the counter, where the concessionist is waiting to take his order.

Harm orders our snacks after him, then we make our way to the theater.  Now we're waiting in line to be let in.  AJ insists on the top row, because he wants to see everything.  So, here we are, waiting at the very top to be let inside.

"Now, are you sure you want to be on the top row?  It might be pretty high..." Harm is trying to convince AJ to want to move lower.  I've been in this one with Chloe, and it _is pretty high at the top, higher than a regular movie theater, anyway._

"No, I want to be at the top.  Don't worry, Unca Harm...I won't let you fall; you don't have to be scared."

The world according to AJ Roberts.  Ah, to be young again.  Nah...I kind of like the way my life is finally starting to work out.  

It seems that while I was musing, our godson won the case.  We will remain at the top, and we can't go back once we're seated.  They open the doors, and we file in.  We actually have pretty good seats...I can easily see the whole screen from where I'm sitting.  And I'm sure that if AJ weren't clinging so tightly onto Harm, he'd be enjoying the view as well.  As it is, though...

"Ouch, ouch, ow, ow, ow...okay, definitely needs his fingernails trimmed.  Ow!"  I've got to hand it to Harm...he's taking it very well on the outside.  

He sits down with AJ still hanging onto his shirt for dear life.

"AJ, sweetie, I promise you that you will not fall," I try to appease him.  That would be a vain attempt, you should know.

"I'm not scared, Aunt Mac.  I'm holdin' onto Unca Harm so that _he doesn't fall."_

The wonders never cease.  Persistent "tough guy" routine.  Harm pulls it, too.  I had no idea it started so young.  Well, he _does_ spend quite a bit of time around Harm, so I guess it's not too far off for AJ to act like him.  

Anyway, with AJ firmly attached to Harm to the point where surgical removal seems the only option, I'm left with all the snacks.  I can't function with my hands this full.  I can't even sit, because these seats are...abnormal.  They're tilted back more than normal movie theater seats, which means you pretty much need a free hand to brace yourself.  A free hand which I do not have at the moment.

"AJ, buddy...I think I'll be okay.  I won't fall.  Just let me help Mac with the food..."  He pulls one of his hands away from AJ's back, still firmly supporting him with the other.

"_NOOOOOOO!"_

Everyone around us is looking at us as though we're beating the kid senseless.  Though, the way he's screaming, we may as well be.  I decide to try my own hand at coercing him into abandoning his antics.

"AJ, honey, your friend Bradley is down there looking at you.  Do you want him to see you carrying on like that?"  

It was as if I had just unplugged him.  He immediately stops screaming.  I look around, and notice a few smiles and hear a few chuckles.  Harm uses his now free hand and grabs my arm to gently guide me down into the seat.  Then he sits down with AJ in his lap, leaving one chair in between us in case Mr. Roberts gets over the height and decides that he wants his own seat.

I use the empty space to set down the bucket of popcorn, and hand Harm AJ's soda.  Harm and I decided to just share a large soda (somehow, sharing germs with him doesn't seem to matter), so I put it in the cup holder on my chair's armrest.  AJ settles himself comfortably into Harm's lap, sipping happily at his fruit punch.  

Once the lights are dimmed, I take the popcorn from the seat between us to allow Harm to move over so that he's sitting next to me.  AJ still isn't comfortable enough to sit in his own seat.  The movie begins and AJ is engrossed from the start.  Sometime during the song "I Just Can't Wait to be King" (which AJ sings along loudly to), I take a sip from the drink, and Harm decides to get cute.  And risky.

He leans over and puts his mouth right by where mine is on the straw, then kisses the side of my lips.  I pull my mouth off the straw, and he goes in for the kill.  

"Unca Harm, what are you doing?" AJ calls in his own attempt at a stage whisper.

Harm pulls away and says, without breaking my gaze, "Mac is holding my drink...I was just taking a sip."

"Oh, okay," is the reply.

Harm licks his lips, then whispers, "Mm...that was good.  Where can I get some more?"

I grin fiendishly and breathe back, "I'll show you later."

"Awww...how _much later?"  He turns his attention back to the movie, but moves his right hand to grasp my left, and starts playing with the ring.  I smile to myself and give his hand a quick squeeze before relaxing it and letting him continue what he's doing._

Thirteen minutes and twenty-eight seconds later, all present in the theater sit engrossed as Simba practices his "roar" in the gorge, and all of a sudden, there is a flood of wildebeast that flows over into the rift towards Simba.  Right at the part where they emerge larger than life on the screen, AJ gets scared and tosses up his box of Nerds® into the air.  

I really hate those movie-size boxes.  They don't have the tiny opening like the regular packages you find next to the check-out counter at the grocery store.  Oh, no.  There's an entire side flap that opens up, so if you drop it, or _throw it up into the air,_ they all end up all over the floor.  Or in your lap.  

Or down your shirt. 

Yep.  Guess where most of them ended up.

And I just _had to wear that shirt that's open just enough at the top to catch the bulk of them.  Since the box pretty much flew into my shirt, after dumping a good bit in my hair, of course.  Harm got maybe a handful in his lap.  _

Ironically enough, AJ pulled out of this one clean as a whistle.

It's alright, though.  I still have my sense of humor.  Somewhat.  It's a good thing I have short hair.  I just shake my head a little, and the candies fall out onto the floor.   I hate that we're in the dead center, because otherwise, I'd be running to the restroom to empty my clothes of the tiny pieces.  

As I'm contemplating how I'm ever going to get all this candy out of my bra, Harm is moving one seat over and setting AJ in the seat between us.  He seems quite secure in his safety, now that he's caught up in the movie.

Harm settles, and puts his right arm across the back of AJ's seat.  After awhile, he starts to trail his fingers along my left shoulder and up and down my neck.  When "Hakuna Matata" comes on, every kid in the theater starts singing.  AJ joins in ardently, and I smile in spite of myself at his antics.  

I close my eyes at Harm's ministrations along my neck and across my throat, under my chin.  He accidentally nudges AJ's head with his elbow.

"Unca Harm, you hit my head."

"Sorry," Harm whispers back.

"Shh!" comes a sound from the row in front of us.

Harm switches seats with AJ.  Once he's sitting next to me, I know I'm done for.  He flashes me his oh-so-charming smile.  I shake my head, but smile back, nonetheless.

A few minutes later, I can feel his hand come around behind my shoulders.  He starts to trail his fingers along my collarbone and neck again.  Suddenly, I feel him trying to pick something from underneath the material on my shoulder.  He gets what he's looking for, and waves it in front of my face.  It's a piece of Nerds® candy.  He brings it to his mouth and eats it, then goes searching for another piece.  He finds a couple in my lap, and a few more under the shoulder material.  

I lean over to him and whisper in his ear, "If you want to know, the bulk of the candies went down the front of my shirt."

"Ooh, that's a whole different kind of sweet."  I feel his hand start to move a little lower along my collarbone.

"But I think you should also know that trying to find them right now would result in a serious ass-kicking."

"Damn!"  He stops his hand's journey into forbidden territory.  "She just said 'right now'...does that mean I can look for them later on?"

"Maybe if you're good, you can try to find them later..." I answer his silent question, only half-joking.

He waggles his eyebrows suggestively at me, then licks his lips for effect.  He turns back to the movie, his arm still slung around my shoulders as if it's the most natural thing in the world.

And it is.


	3. Aaaaaare ya ACHIN'

**Title:** What Harm Wants (3/?)

**Authors:  Lexxi and Jamie**

**Disclaimer:  JAG belongs to DPB and CBS and Paramount and not me.**

**_1400 est_**

**_Maryland Science Center_**

**_(Mac's POV)_**

The movie finished without anything else happening.  Unless you count AJ's three potty breaks.  And Harm's wandering hands.

And...Harm's wandering hands.

Mmm...

Oh!  _Ahem_...

Now we're walking out of the theater listening to AJ talk animatedly about the movie.  

"And remember the part where the hyenas were chasing Simba and Nala?  That was scary...were you scared, Aunt Mac?  I was scared."

"I wonder if this kid breathes."  Hmph...I doubt it.

"And then there was the part where the will-der-beasts ran into the...the...the place, and they almost runned over Simba, but Mufsa...Musasa...Musfa...umm...Simba's dad saved him and then he tried to climb up, but Scar hurted his paws, and then he falled down and he died.  Did you cry at that part Aunt Mac?  I think Unca Harm cried."

"I did not!  I had something in my eye.  Probably a piece of candy or something."  Riiiiight...

"But the Hakuna Matata song was my favorite, did you hear me singing it?  I know the _whooooooooolllllle_ thing.  Do you want to hear it?"

"Oh, please not again."  Ditto.

"Nah, nevermind, I don't feel like singing it.  Did you think the part where Pumbaa singed was funny?  He went, 'When I was a young wart-HOOOOOOOOOOOG.'"

"Ouch."  Ouch.

By now people are looking at us, smiling.  Sure, he's cute, and I'd probably be smiling, too...if I didn't have to listen to all of it.  Or, at least _pretend to listen.  _

"And they ate bugs, remember?  *_sssslllllllluuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrp*!_  That's the sound they made, remember?  It was yucky.  Have you ever tried bugs?  Bradley once ate a worm in front of a whole bunch of kids on the playground.  He got sick and throwed up all over our substitute teacher.  She started crying, and then some of the girls started crying, and then Bradley started crying, because his tummy was hurting.  Do you remember the part where Ra-freaky was talking to Simba, and he was singing, 'Asante sana, squash banana...na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na..."

"Asante sana, squash banana..."  Good grief.

"And there was the part where Timon dressed up in a hula skirt, and they were singing.  I know that _whooooooooooollllllllle song, too.  I'm gonna sing that one, 'cause it's shorter.  Unca Harm, you sing Pumbaa's part, okay?"_

"Here it goes."  "Alright."

AJ clears his throat and starts to sing, "Iiiiiiiifff you're hungry for a hunk of fat and juicy meat...eeeeeeeaaaat my buddy Pumbaa here, because he is a treat.  Come on down and dine...hot and tasty swine.  All you gotta do is get in line."

At this point, he's standing and shaking his hips to the music in his head, and Harm is also dancing along, though he probably doesn't even realize it, "Aaaaaaaarrrrre ya _achin'..."_

Harm jumps in, "Yep, yep, yep."

AJ continues, "Foooooooorrrrr some _bacon?"_

"Yep, yep, yep."

"Heeeeeeeeeee's a _big pig."_

"Yep, yep."

"You can be a big pig, too!  _OY_!"

At this point, I'm leaning up against the wall laughing so hard that I've got tears rolling down my cheeks.  

"Oh, no...Unca Harm, I think Aunt Mac is sad.  Look, she's crying."

"Ah, the logic of a child."  "No, I think those are just tears of joy.  Aren't they tears of joy, Mac?"

I struggle to catch my breath, then respond, "Yeah, joy.  I'm just so happy that I'm hanging out with my two favorite guys in the world."

"Your two favorite guys in the world?  What about your boyfriend, Aunt Mac?  Isn't _he your favorite guy in the world?  Isn't that why you're marrying him?"_

Damn, he wasn't supposed to have been paying attention to that part of the conversation.  "Well, uh..."  

"Oh, yeah, Marine...sweat it!"  Ooh...I'm about ready to smack my 'boyfriend.'

"He is one of my favorite guys.  I was just talking about who was with me today."

This explanation seems to satisfy him.  "Oh, okay."

"That was close.  Nice save."  Yeah, no thanks to you.

"Anyway," AJ continues, "I liked the part, too, where Ra-freaky was fighting the hyenas, and he was like...'whaaaaa...hiiiiiiiii-_yaaaaa'...and 'heeeeee-yaaaaaaa!'"  All this he demonstrates for us.  I cringe every time he kicks out or jumps around, because I'm afraid he'll accidentally hit someone.  Thankfully, nobody gets hurt except for the invisible hyenas._

"And then all the animals come to see Simba and Nala's new baby, and it was just like the beginning.  I think that's cool that Simba and Nala got married, even though they were best friends.  I think best friends should get married if they're a girl and a boy, because they already like each other, and they know a lot about each other."

"This kid is good.  Why couldn't he have been around to tell us this years ago?"  Because it's more fun to figure it out for ourselves.

"You know, for a kid, you're pretty smart," I tell him.

He shrugs his shoulders and says, "I know."

"Well, at least he knows it."  We both smile at him, then continue making our way to the Kids Room on the third floor.  Once we get there, AJ looks around, eyes and mouth wide open.  

"Impressive."  I've never been to this level before.  When Chloe and I came we went straight to the planetarium.  The entrance was on the second floor, and the observation telescope was on the fourth.

When AJ finally finds his voice, he says, "Wow!  Can we go to the water part first?"

"Of course we can," Harm answers him, then turns to me and says, "Hmm...looks like he's shaping up to be a Squid after all."

I just roll my eyes at my partner...no, wait..._fiancé_.  I can't help but smile to myself at that thought.


	4. Squiddy squid squid

**_1513 est_**

**_Maryland Science Center_**

**_(Mac's POV)_**

After about an hour at the water part of the Kids Room, Harm and I are already feeling worn and ready to drop.  We've been chasing AJ all over, trying not to lose him.  We also seem to always be in the line of fire...well, water...and we're both consequently soaked.  We've finally gotten a hold of him, and we're leaving the water area for the building area.  On the way out, though, Harm decides that he wants to be cute, and he splashes me as we walk by the last fountain before the dry area.

"Oooooh, Unca Harm...you're in big trouble now," says AJ, who looks as though he'd like nothing better than to see Harm really in trouble.

"But I was just giving Mac a bath, since she got candy all over her, and she's probably sticky," he argues.  

"Maybe she'll buy it if I go for cute."

It's cute, but I'm not buying it.

I creep over to the fountain while Harm is defending himself to AJ, and I get him back.

"Ooh, Unca Harm, I told you that you were gonna be in trouble.  But you didn't listen to me."  He shakes his head solemnly.  

"Okay, well now that all three of us are wet, what do you say we let ourselves get dry while we're building, okay?" I say in what I hope is my best 'mommy voice.'

"Okay," chorus the two boys, and we finally get away from the water.

****

**_1845 est_**

**_Maryland Science Center_**

**_(Mac's POV)_**

After about an hour and a half in the observatory, we are finally able to drag AJ from the "space place," as he calls it, and we start to make our way to the car.  Harm and I quickly usher him back past the kids' area, trying to keep him distracted by asking him what he wants for dinner.

"Oh, I don't know...hey, can we go to the water room one more time before we leave?"

"Sorry, buddy, it's already closed," replies Harm.

"Pity, too.  I wanted to get Mac one more time."

In your dreams, Flyboy.

We decide to go back to my place for dinner.  As soon as we walk in the door, I tell AJ to get ready for a bath.

"But Aunt Mac, I already got wet at the museum."

"Did you have soap?" I ask.

"No."

"Then you're not clean.  You need soap and water to get clean.  Come on, now.  Bath first, and then we'll have dinner and maybe watch a movie."

"Ooh, ooh, a movie!  Okay!"  He runs into the bathroom, and I follow to get the bath ready for him.

I turn on the faucets and take out the Mr. Bubble bottle that Harriet left for him in his bag.  I pour in a capful under the running water and then replace the cap as the suds spread to all corners of the tub.

All of a sudden, I feel a pair of strong arms wrap around me, and I feel myself being forced into the tub.  I quickly decide that I'm gonna take him down with me.  I grab onto his arms so that he can't escape, and we both fall into the bathtub with an enormous splash that reaches the ceiling and races across the floor to meet the carpet in the hallway, where AJ, stark naked, is standing with his hands clapped over his mouth and his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline in a look of utmost shock.

He regains his voice after he watches a few moments of struggling on my part to get into a reasonably comfortable position that doesn't have my head underwater.  "Unca Harm, you're in really, really big trouble now.  You got water on the floor."

Yeah, and he pulled me into the bathtub with all my clothes on.  He could've at least done me the courtesy of waiting until they were off.  

"But I thought it was Mac's turn to take a bath.  Then she pulled me in, so I guess it was really my turn."

AJ contemplates this for a few seconds, then says, "Or maybe she just thought it would be a good idea to take one together so you save time.  But I thought it was my turn."

"It is your turn, sweetheart.  Just as soon as Harm gets off of me."

"Do I hafta?"  Yes, you're squishing me, and your hand should definitely not be there with our godson standing right in the doorway.

Harm seems reluctant in getting up, but he helps me out of the tub and grabs a towel from the rack and wraps it around me.

"Alright, Sport, jump on in the tub," Harm says.

AJ looks into the significantly emptier tub, then says, "Can I have more bubbles?"

"Sure thing.  Mac, go ahead and get changed, I'll fill it back up."

"Although, I'd much rather help you out of those wet clothes."  I wonder if his mind always works like that.

I change into some dry clothes, then head back to the bathroom.  Harm is in there now with a mop, trying to get all the excess water off the floor even as AJ is putting more onto it with his splashing around.

"Harm, you may as well be sweeping the desert clean.  Why don't you wait until the little Squid is done, huh?"

"Heh, heh...little Squid.  You're funny, Aunt Mac."

"Hmm...I guess she's got a point.  There's less water in the tub than on the floor."  "Okay.  Can you watch him while I get changed into dry clothes?"

"What, you don't want help?" I ask enticingly.

He raises an eyebrow at me.  "I'd love help."  "Someone's got to make sure the Squid doesn't drown."

"Squid.  Ha!  Squiddy squid squid," intones AJ in a soft, sing-song voice.

I grin and nod my head, then sit down on the lid of the toilet seat.

"Uh...I wouldn't sit there if I were you.  I mean, unless you don't mind getting soaked again," says Harm warningly.

"Right," I reply as I move to stand by the doorway.

"Look, you guys...I'm Squiddy Claus!" exclaims AJ, who is sporting a foamy beard and mustache.  "Ho, ho, ho."

It's with great difficulty that we finally get AJ out of the bathtub half an hour later.

"But Aunt Mac, the pirates just captured Christopher Columbus on the _Pinto_, and they already set the _El Niño_ on fire.  They haven't even caught the _Santo Marina yet."_

I rub my eyes as I respond, "Sweetie, the captain of the **_Pinta_** broke away from the other two ships without permission to find an island of gold, the **_Santa Maria_, which Christopher Columbus was the captain of, struck a reef and sank the next day, and Christopher Columbus used salvaged pieces of it to build a fort on Hispaniola where the remaining crew that couldn't fit on the **_Niña_** could stay, while he went back to Spain, arriving just before the rogue captain of the _Pinta, thereby winning all the praise and a place in history."_**

He sits there with his mouth hanging open in stupor, then says, "I think I'm ready to get out of the tub now."

"Hmm...I didn't know all that stuff about Columbus."  "I ordered pizza for dinner.  It should be here any minute."

"Mmm...pizza!"  

Harm takes AJ into the bedroom to get into pajamas, when there's a knock on the door signaling the arrival of dinner.

"Pizzaaaaaaa!!!!!" AJ squeals, and the next minute, he's streaking out of the room—and when I say streaking, I mean streaking.  Before I can stop him, he bolts to the door, flings it open, and stands there in all his glory to greet the pizza delivery guy.  

Harm was obviously taken completely by surprise, because he comes out a whole five seconds after Mr. I'm-too-sexy-for-my-clothes.  I've got my hands over my face in resignation, and between my fingers I catch a glimpse of a dazzling white posterior before he's scooped up by Mr. I'm-too-damn-sexy-for-my-own-good.  

I get up off the couch and grab my wallet lying on the counter to pay the pizza guy.  Thankfully, he finds it all very amusing, and he doesn't seem the least bit embarrassed by it.  I pay him for the pizza and then give him an extra nice tip for his understanding.

"You could've fried an egg on your face just now, Mac.  I wouldn't worry about it.  AJ isn't."

"Unca Harm, can you really fry an egg on Aunt Mac's face?" asks a curious AJ, now fully clothed.

"Nah, it's just an expression."

"Oh."  

We all three just stand there, Harm and I awkwardly, and AJ breaks the tension by saying, "Can we eat the pizza now?"

So we sit at the table and eat our pizza, and when we're done, I accompany AJ into the living room and pop in _The Lion King II while he sprawls out on the floor with a pillow from the couch._

"You've got to be kidding me.  There's another one?"  "When did they come out with a second movie?" Harm asks.

"No idea," I reply as I plop down on the couch.

"Oh, but she knows that Christopher Columbus had really great timing and made history."  I roll my eyes and focus my attention back to the television.

Harm sits next to me on the couch.  Forty-three minutes into the movie, AJ is asleep and I'm leaning against Harm, wrapped in his arms and feeling like I'm in heaven.

I feel myself drifting off to sleep, and the last thing I hear from Harm's thoughts is, "Hmm...I wonder where that tattoo is..."

Keep wondering, Butch.


	5. Amen Alleluia

**_0743 est_**

**_Sunday, February 16_**

**_Mac's Apartment_**

**_(I think we all know by now that it's Mac's POV)_**

For the second morning in a row, I find myself unmotivated to open my eyes or move from this blanket of comfort surrounding me.  Except that I get this strange feeling that someone is watching me.  I open my eyes, and there, two inches from my nose, is AJ Roberts.

"Good morning, Aunt Mac," he whispers loudly.

"Good morning, AJ," I whisper back.

"Can I snuggle with you and Unca Harm?"

I don't really know if that's possible, as Harm and I are on the couch, but I answer anyway, "Sure you can.  Just climb on up."

"Aww, but now I can't kiss her good morning.  Not in front of prying eyes."  Damn.  Is it too late to send the kid back to bed?

I guess so.  He's lying on top of me with his head on my shoulder.  On second thought, he can stay right here if he wants.  I feel like we're a family.

"So _this is what it feels like to be a real family."  Hey, I just said that...thought it...whatever.  _

I drift back off to sleep cuddling AJ and being cuddled by Harm.

**_0946 est_**

**_Mac's apartment_**

I suddenly feel myself jarred awake by something that I can't quite place immediately.  My sudden movement elicits a waking grunt from Harm and a casual glance from AJ, who is playing quietly (which is no small feat for Little Big Mouth).

"Good morning again, Aunt Mac.  Is it breffist time yet?"

Breffist time...time..._time!  "We have to get ready for church!  It's already 0947!  The service starts at 1015!"  Well, at least I won't be bothered with trying to figure out what woke me up.  Now I know._

My outburst startled AJ into needlessly jumping up and fruitlessly running around waving his arms in the air yelling out, "Dear God, please don't let us be late to church.  Dear God, please don't let us be late to church.  Dear God, please..."

"AJ, buddy, how about while you're praying, you can start to get ready so we won't be late," Harm says.

"Okay.  Dear God..."  His voice grows fainter as he runs into the room, followed by Harm.  I go into the bathroom and take a shower in record time.  I walk out of the bathroom still dripping, with a towel wrapped around me, when I'm nearly bowled over by the little whirlwind, who is wearing his pants on his head.

"Look, Aunt Mac, I'm a shepherd!  See, this is what shepherds wear!  Aunt Mac, are you an angel?  You're pretty enough to be an angel.  Unca Harm, isn't she pretty enough to be an angel?"  Harm looks me up and down.

"Mm-hmm..."  "Yes, buddy, she's beautiful enough to be an angel.  Now why don't we just go ahead and put your shorts where they belong and let's let Mac get dressed, okay?"

"Ooooooookay!"  And with that, he ran back out of the room, praying, "Dear God, please don't let us be late to church.  Dear..."

"Dear God, please don't let our children be any more rowdy than AJ."  Amen to that.

Once Harm is done getting AJ dressed (with all clothes in their correct places), he jumps in and out of the shower.  It was a fast shower, but I still had him beat by twenty-nine seconds.  Hah!

It only took seventeen minutes to all get ready, and after a quick breakfast of Eggo waffles (without peanut butter, to the protests of AJ Roberts), we were out the door.

**_1021 est_**

**_Christ Church_**

Only six minutes late.  Harm looks at his watch to check the time.

"Maybe they haven't started the service yet."  Yeah, right.  When have we ever been that lucky?  

We walk through the doors into the anteroom.  The pastor's greeting can be heard through the doors to the sanctuary.  Mm-hm!  I knew it.

"Oh, well, wishful thinking."  

Once the hymn starts, we open the doors and quickly occupy three spaces on the back pew.  AJ immediately grabs a hymnal and opens it to a random page and starts singing along at the top of his voice to the tune he obviously already knows.

"Oh sing to our God.  Amen.  Alleluia!  Oh sing to our God.  Amen.  Alleluia!  Oh sing..."  

He really does have a nice little voice.  If he could just control the volume he'd be great.  I'm sure there's plenty of time for that, though.  Speaking of volume, he seems to enjoy singing louder at the Spanish parts, as though showing off that he can sing in Spanish.

"Hey-sus es Sen-your.  Amen.  Alleluia!  Hey-sus es..."

"As fascinating as this is..."  Yeah, I agree.  Can we end the song, please?

"...Amen.  Alleluia!  Cantad al Sen-your.  Cantad al Sen-yoooooooouuuuuuurrrrr."

"Amen."  Alleluia!

_Author's note: Sorry it's so short.  Don't let the length keep you from reviewing, though ***hint, hint*.  **Oh, and after chapter 6 (I think) the updates will be slower in coming, because I've reached something of a standstill.  Keep reviewing, though, please...it only serves as encouragement!_


	6. My ring

**_1143 EST_**

**_Sunday, February 16_**

**_Christ Church_**

"That was one of the longest sermons I've ever had to sit through."  I agree.  My butt is numb from sitting for so long on those hard pews.  AJ didn't seem to mind at all.  He had a coloring kit with him and he was sitting quietly on the floor (that's twice in one day he's been quiet!) using his seat as a table.

"I'm hungry," he pipes up.

"Me, too.  Where are you taking us to lunch, Harm?"

"Yeah, Unca Harm, where are you taking us to lunch?" asks AJ imploringly.

"Oh, I don't know, where do you want to go?"

"Can we go to McDonald's?"

"Yuck!"  Well, I prefer Beltway, but I'm guessing AJ wants to play on the playground.

At the look on Harm's face, AJ adds, "They have salads there, Unca Harm!"

"Yeah, and they have burgers almost anywhere.  Why McDonald's?"

AJ rolls his eyes and answers in a 'duh' voice, "Everywhere doesn't have playgrounds, Unca Harm!"

"Oh...the playground."  "Hmm...well, if it's alright with Mac...?"  "Please say no, please say no, please say no..."

"Yeah, that's fine with me."

"Damn!  I said say no."  I don't think Harm is aware that there's a health food restaurant right across the street from the McDonald's with the playground.  I'll just let him figure it out for himself.

Since I know where the place is, I am elected to drive the Lexus.  Eight minutes later, the three of us are passing into the land of the Golden Arches.  AJ tries to run straight for the playground, but I deftly restrain him with an arm on his shoulder and say, "Whoa, hold your horses, Buddy, what do you want?"

He says impatiently, "Cheeseburger happy meal with just cheese and ketchup.  And a Hot Wheels, not a Barbie."

"A Hot Wheels and not a Barbie?  What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't worry, Harm, I'll explain it to you later," I respond.

"I didn't say anything."

Whoops.  "I was just interpreting the look on your face," I quickly answer.

"Oh, okay.  So, you gonna order, then, while I take the kid to go play?"

"Yeah, go ahead," I reply.  Then, as an afterthought, "Have fun!"

Harm gives a backwards look over his shoulder at me before being dragged by the arm into the indoor playground area.

I bring our food to the table Harm is sitting at and then plop myself down into the chair next to him.  He looks at the tray and then at me and says, 

"Umm...where's mine?"

I answer matter-of-factly, "Across the street.  Unless you want some of my Big Mac."

He purses his lips in an attempt to hide an evil grin.  "There are so many places I could go with that...none of which are appropriate."  I can't help but smile myself.

He seems to have gotten over the last part of my statement and returns to the first.  "What do you mean it's 'across the street?'"

I point out the window to where the little restaurant stands out clearly in between the Office Depot and the Pets 'R' Us.

"Aahh...okay, I'll be back in a few minutes.  You'll be alright here by yourself, won't you?"

"I'm not by myself.  I've got Chatter Box to keep me company."

He just nods his head and winks at me, then turns to the maze of plastic tubing, plexiglas, and synthetic fabric nets.  "Hey, AJ...food's here.  Come on down so you can eat and then you can go back up there and play."

"Unca Harm, I can't."

"Why not?"

"I'm stuck."

Pause.

"Unca Harm, did you hear me?  I said, _I'm stuck_!"

"Wha—AJ, I—how—where are you stuck?"  Ah, Harm: the epitome of eloquence.

"I can't get my foot out of the net.  Can you help me?"

Harm looks over at me, slight panic written on his usually calm face.  I shrug and raise my eyebrows at him.

"Uh...are you sure you can't get your foot unstuck by yourself?" he tries again.

"I've been trying for a hour, Unca Harm!"  Let the record reflect that he's only been in there for a little over six minutes.  "Am I gonna be stuck here forever?  I don't want to be stuck here anymore!  I'm hungry, I just want to come down and eat my happy meal!  Please, Unca Harm, help me!"  He's definitely panicking, and unless I'm very much mistaken, I can hear his voice tinged with tears.

"Alright, umm...I'm coming up to help get you unstuck, alright?  Don't worry, buddy, I won't let you stay stuck up there forever."

"Harm, I'll go up there and get him.  You're too big for those tunnels you'll get yourself stuck up there with him, and then I'll have to rescue both of you."

"No, it's alright, I can do it."  He takes a deep breath and lets it out as though to steel himself.  "Well, no turning back now."

I watch as he climbs awkwardly through the round opening and can't help but admire the view before it disappears through the vinyl flaps over the tunnel.  I follow his progress up to where our godson can still be heard whimpering and sniffling.  I stand up and move to where I can see Harm climb onto the net towards where AJ is sitting uncomfortably with his snared leg akimbo.  Harm speaks placatingly while he tries to disentangle the leg from the net.  He succeeds, and AJ immediately throws his arms around Harm's neck and his legs around his abdomen, hooked securely by the ankles behind Harm's back.  Harm is momentarily thrown off balance, and when he teeters, AJ screams out,

_"Unca Harm, don't let me go!"_

Harm regains enough stability to put both hands firmly on AJ's back.  He looks down at me pleadingly.  I know I shouldn't be finding this nearly as amusing as I am, but it's so hard to not laugh at the situation.  Harm creeps slowly on his knees and finally makes it across the net to the tunnel and asks AJ if he's okay to go the rest of the way on his own, on account of they'll both get stuck if they try to go in there together.  

Apparently, AJ isn't going to let go until they're in the tunnel, and he screams when Harm tries to take his hand off his back to brace himself.  I sigh to myself.  Never send the Navy to do the Marines' job.

I kick off my shoes and scramble into the mouth of the tunnel leading into the labyrinthine structure.  I'm so glad I opted out of the skirt today.  I hurry to where Harm is still struggling with AJ.

"Alright, boys, it's the woman to the rescue.  AJ, sweetie, will you come into the tunnel if I'm right here holding onto you?"

He sniffs pitifully and nods and gives a small, "Uh-huh."

I dangle my feet out of the tunnel and reach out the twelve inches to hold on firmly to AJ.  He grabs my left hand with his right, and the only problem with that is that his right arm is still around Harm's neck.  Harm tries to overcome the inconvenience by ducking his head under AJ's arm.

Big mistake.  

AJ, thinking that Harm is letting go of him early, screams and pulls his arm and hand back to where they were, nearly pulling my left hand with him.  Far from getting my whole hand, he succeeds in pulling my ring off.  

We all three watch as if in slow motion as the shining piece falls straight through the net, bounces off of a plastic tube, and lands with a soft _*plop*_ into the ball pit.  Into the 9xll foot ball pit.  Into the ball pit with the cheap, colorful plastic orbs stacked three feet deep.  Into the ball pit, with dimensions measuring 9x11x3 feet.  That's 297 cubic feet of rainbow colored plastic...covering _my engagement ring._

"Umm...I think I'm okay now, Aunt Mac."

My engagement ring.

"Can you just move so I can go into the tunnel?"

Into the ball pit.

"Or it's okay if Unca Harm wants to bring me to the slide."

"Her engagement ring."

"So, the slide is that way, Unca Harm."

"Into the ball pit."

"Just on the other side of the net, okay, Unca Harm?"

My...

"Or you could just put me down, I think I can just walk over there myself."

"Her..."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

...

"..."

Both Harm and I finally realize that AJ is screaming—literally—to get our attentions.

"Come here, AJ," I say, reaching out my arms to him.  He noiselessly grabs me and I pull him into the tunnel.  He starts making his way down to the bottom of the playset and Harm and I both glance back down at where my engagement ring is buried.  Assuming there aren't any holes in the bottom of the pit which it could've slipped through.  I shudder to think.

"I'll go down there and look for it," Harm says suddenly.

I can't bring myself to argue with him.  I nod wordlessly and head down the same way I came up.  I sit back down at the table where AJ is already eating his meal.  He stops and looks at me, fresh tears in his eyes.

"Aunt Mac, I'm sorry I made you lose your ring.  Will your boyfriend hate me?"

I reach over absentmindedly and tousle his hair.  "No, honey, my boyfriend doesn't hate you.  It was an accident.  Besides, Harm is looking for the ring.  He'll find it."

"But Aunt Mac, I've never met your boyfriend.  How do you know he doesn't hate me?" he asks with sincere curiosity.

I falter for a fraction of a second and then answer honestly, "I just know."

"Oh, okay."  

Half an hour later, Harm comes awkwardly out of the ball pit wearing a triumphant smile, holding up a shining something in his hand.

I jump up ecstatically and rush over to him.  He puts the ring back where it belongs and, without thinking, I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him full on the mouth.  I hear a small gasp of surprise behind us and I whirl around, eyes wide, hands over my mouth.

AJ is sitting there, covering his eyes.  After three and a half seconds, he calls out, "Are you done kissing, yet?"

"Yes, you can uncover your eyes," I respond with a hint of a smile.  Everything seems ten times funnier now that I've got my ring back.

"Aunt Mac, and Unca Harm, why did you kiss?  I thought you were both gonna marry other people."

"It, uh..." I start.

"It was just a, umm..." Harm tries to take over.

"A thank-you kiss!" I recover.

"Yeah, but you kissed _on the mouth."_

"We missed."

"Oh."  He knits his brow in contemplation, then finally says, "Alright," and goes back to playing with his Hot Wheels car.

"I hope he keeps this quiet."  I couldn't agree more.


	7. Hissing abominations

**Author's Note: **Okay, due to a change in site formatting, the thoughts will be contained in /backslashes/. And yes, I realize I haven't updated since God was a boy. Sorry. I'll try to get on the ball and wrap this thing up quickly. Thank you all for your extreme patience.

**_1236 est_**

**_McDonald's parking lot_**

"Uh-huh...okay...yeah, we can manage...no, we'll be fine...okay, you too...bye." I press the end button on my cell and then look over at Harm, who is watching me inquiringly.

I just shake my head at him and turn to talk to AJ in the back seat. "Hey, AJ, I have something to tell you."

"Are my mom and dad gonna be late?"

"Uh, yeah...really late. They're snowed in. They don't know when they'll be getting back, but it definitely won't be tonight."

"But...Mommy said she'd see me on Sunday. Today is Sunday. She said she'd see me."

"I know, sweetie, but they can't. They're stuck, they have no way of getting here tonight."

"But Mommy said! She promised that she would see me when she got back on Sunday!"

I can see the wild panic of not understanding the concept in his eyes, which are starting to mist up. "AJ...I know Mommy promised that she would see you when she got back on Sunday, but you're going to have to wait until they can get back. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" I can tell this is a fruitless endeavor trying to explain that just because his mommy couldn't come when she said she would that it's not a broken promise.

/"Oh, man, I wish there was something we could do about this."/ "Hey, buddy...why don't we go to the natural history museum? That way when you see your mom and dad when they get back, you can tell them all the cool stuff you did. How does that sound?"

Typical guy logic. Let's go do something else to take your mind off of a huge disappointment. Puh-leeze! I mean, does that ever work?

"Ooh, okay, can we go see the bugs?" I stare at AJ in disbelief. Six seconds ago, he was crying about his mom breaking a promise, and now he's practically tingling with excitement about seeing a bug exhibit at the Smithsonian. I will never understand men.

Harm turns an inquiring look my way, and I respond, "Sounds like fun. Let's do it, Harm."

We drive out to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. AJ talks animatedly to himself the whole way there. When we get there and I try to get him out of the car seat, I have trouble keeping him still long enough to get the buckle undone. I finally free him from his bonds and he jumps out of the car—right onto Harm's foot, grazing Harm's shin on the way down.

I see Harm wince and bite his bottom lip to keep from expressing any inappropriate exclamations that AJ would be sure to hear and repeat. He's not doing such a great job with controlling his thoughts, though. He had to have picked some of that up as a sailor.

"Whoops! Sorry, Unca Harm!"

"It's alright." /"I'm sure the swelling will go down in a few days."/ Well, at least he still has his sense of humor.

"Oh, that's good. Can we go now?" I grab AJ's hand as he leads the way, and then I grab Harm's hand with my other and drag him along while he limps.

Since the dinosaurs are on the entrance level, I get the first indulgence of the afternoon. The boys enjoyed it just as much as I did, though, even if Harm wouldn't admit it out loud.

"I don't understand what you find so fascinating about these things, Mac...they're all dead. If you want to see bones, go to the pet store and check out the doggy aisle, no need to come all the way out here." /"Ooh, a Tyrannosaurus !"/

Case in point. "Harm, am I hearing things, or did you just say 'doggy?' Because it sure sounded like 'doggy' to me."

AJ giggles and Harm gives him one of those cute squinty-eyed glares. You know the one I'm talking about.

"Touché," he says. I grin at him and he rolls his eyes and then looks down at AJ, who is pulling on his arm.

"Unca Harm, I have to go to the bathroom."

/"You're kidding...you never have to go to the bathroom."/ Ooh, he's even sarcastic when he's talking to himself in his head. "Alright, let's go. I'm sure Mac would enjoy the extra time with the _dog_ treats."

"What, Harm? Did you say _doggy_ treats?"

"No, Mac, I said _dog _treats."

"Oh, I got it this time..._doghouse_."

Harm cocks an eyebrow and swallows his response. /"That's a place I don't want to be."/ He nods and turns around, letting AJ lead him to the restroom.

Score two for me.

**_1342 EST_**

**_Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History_**

**_Second Floor_**

"We're going to see the bugs! We're going to see the bugs! We're going to see..."

I have never seen anyone get this excited about bugs before. The kid is skipping and dancing as we're making our way to the **Insect Zoo**. We slow down a bit passing through the reptile section, so that AJ can get a good look at the snakes and lizards.

"Okay, let's go see the bugs," he says after about five minutes spent watching a python sleep.

We get to the bugs, and AJ immediately runs over to a stand with times on it.

"Aunt Mac, what time is it?" he asks.

"1:51. Why? What are those times for?"

"They're for the bug show," he says matter-of-factly.

"Okaaaay...what's the bug show?" I ask.

He sighs and answers, "Where they show you bugs."

/"Duh!"/ "Geez, Mac, you should've _known_ that," Harm says with a victorious smirk.

"I didn't hear you jumping in to give an answer, flyboy."

"You didn't ask me. I was always taught to keep my nose out of other peoples' business."

"And since when have you _ever_ heeded that advice?" I ask him challengingly.

He purses his lips and says, "Just now, when I didn't jump in and answer."

I just shake my head and punch him lightly on the arm. Jerk.

Ten minutes later (a minute late, according to the sign), a young woman comes out wheeling a cart stacked with glass and plastic cages filled with creepy crawly things. Ick.

The woman calls the children and parents around and starts talking about the different specimens she has with her. AJ sits enthralled on the floor at her feet, staring longingly at the squirming and skittering objects on the cart. After a brief introduction of the insects, she says,

"Who wants to hold them?"

"Ooh, ooh, I do!" says AJ enthusiastically, waving his arm frantically so that she'd be sure not to miss him.

The woman laughs and says, "Okay, anyone who wants to hold them, just line up here and we'll see what we can do for you."

AJ is first in line, and he gestures to Harm and me to join him. Harm starts towards him and turns back to see why I'm not following.

"Come on, Mac. What's wrong?"

I give myself a mental shake and answer, "Nothing. I'm coming."

We join AJ beside the cart and the woman, whose name is Tori, asks, "Would you two like to hold an insect, too? We have Madagascar hissing cockroaches that you can handle."

"Sure, I'm game," says Harm. He looks at me and I just say,

"Um...no thanks, I'll just watch."

Harm grins wickedly. /"Oh, my God...my gung-ho, semper fi, kick-ass jarhead is squeamish about bugs. This is too good."/

Oh, no he doesn't. I won't have him win one over me. "Ah, why not?" I say to Tori in what I hope is a casual voice.

"Oh, good, you're gonna hold one? Let's see, then..." she reaches her hand inside one of the plastic cages and deftly snags a huge cockroach. It hisses in protest, and I begin to feel a little queasy.

"Here you go," Tori says cheerfully, holding out the offending creature. I make no move to relieve her of it.

"Sarah, sweetie, this is the part where you take the roach from the nice lady," Harm says gleefully, not even trying to mask his amusement.

I take a deep breath and reach out my hands for the bug, which is sitting docilely in Tori's outstretched hand.

She places it in my hand and I tense up, but gradually relax as it just sits there doing nothing but waving its antennae. All of a sudden, though, it gets the urge to run, and it has nowhere to go but up my arm. I squeal and shake my arm, and the cockroach falls to the floor, hissing, and starts to scamper away, but Tori (who has obviously dealt with this situation numerous times) quickly bends down and scoops it up, then drops it back into the hell from whence it came. I stare at the cage and hide the shudder that goes through me.

Harm, meanwhile, is laughing his fool head off, while simultaneously trying to keep his cockroach demon from escaping. I shoot him my most venemous Marine death stare, and he sobers up a bit, though he is still grinning from ear to ear. /"God, that's one for the books. Blackmail."/

Harm gives Tori back the cockroach and she puts it with the rest of the little monsters, then he turns to me and says, "You know, Mac...that little squeal...?" He leans into me until his lips brush my ear. Despite my indignance at what he's about to say, I can't help but enjoy the feel of his breath tickling my neck. "_Very_ un-Marine-like." I run my hand along his side, then find a good spot and pinch him. Hard.

/"Ouch!"/ He grabs my hand and looks at me with an amused grin. "Mac, there's no need to resort to physical abuse just because you couldn't handle a little bug crawling up your arm."

"Harm, first of all, that thing was huge. Second...it's an _insect_, not a bug."

He rolls his eyes and responds, "I stand corrected."

"Unca Harm, Aunt Mac, can we go look at the snakes again?"

"Yes," I answer a little too quickly. Anything to get away from those hissing abominations.

Harm follows along, still grinning to himself. He'll never let me live that one down.


	8. Kids

**_Author's note: _**Erm…_/shuffles feet sheepishly/_…hi. I thought I ought to finish the story. Sorry about leaving it…_/sneaks away in shame/_.

**_Disclaimer: _**No, just because I was gone doesn't mean I was on to bigger and better things. I still don't own anything.

**_Author's note 2: _**Just a reminder that this story is set before the departure of Admiral Chegwidden. Just another painful reminder of how long I let this story go unattended. Again, apologies all around.

* * *

"Riddle me this," I said to Harm as we drove into work in his SUV, "Why don't we get a snow day? AJ got one!"

"That's something you'll have to take up with the school board," he answered. /And JAG, he added to himself.

"Yeah, well, this traffic is terrible. You'd think people would have learned how to drive in snow."

/You'd think./ He was irritated. Harm is not a morning person.

It was Monday, and Harriet and Bud were still stranded at the airport, which meant that we still had AJ with us.

"I hafta go potty," he called from the back seat.

Of course.

/Zip-a-dee Doo-dah…/ "Can you hold it?" Harm asked out loud.

"Not really," he answered earnestly.

Harm took a deep breath. /One…two…three…/

"Harm is gonna pull into the next place we see, okay? Why don't we play 'I Spy'?" I suggested, trying to take AJ's mind off his need to use the restroom while simultaneously giving Harm the time he needed to de-stress.

"Okay, me first!" he answered enthusiastically.

Twenty minutes later, we were at JAG.

/Finally/. "Okay, I've got court first thing this morning, which," he paused to look at his watch, "I will just barely make. Are you okay with AJ?"

"Sure. Go," I answered, pushing him to hurry.

/Love you/ "See ya later, Mac."

I smiled warmly. "See ya." Love you, too.

AJ was in my office playing quietly while I worked on my cases. After about an hour, I said to him, "AJ, I'm going to get some coffee. Do you want to come with, or will you be okay in here by yourself for a minute?"

"I'll be okay," he answered without looking up from his action figures.

"Okay." I walked out of the office and headed quickly for the break room. When I got back to my office less than two minutes later, AJ was gone.

"Dammit," I muttered to myself. I put my coffee mug on my desk and went in search of my godson. I walked into Harm's darkened office and called out softly, "AJ…are you in here? Aunt Mac can't play hide-and-seek right now."

I checked under the desk, but didn't find him anywhere. I turned to walk out, and instead ran smack into Harm, just returning from court.

"Whoa!" he said. /I don't think the office is the right place for this/

Har, har. "Harm, I need your help finding AJ. I was gone for a minute to get coffee, and when I got back to my office, he'd disappeared."

/Not good/ "Okay, lemme put my stuff down and we'll search."

He put his briefcase and folder on his desk and guided me out of his office, and we began the search. We checked underneath desks and asked a few people if they'd seen him. Finally, as we passed the Admiral's office, we heard his voice loud and clear.

"…ice cream at the park! And Unca Harm pushed us on the swings."

Without announcing ourselves, Harm pushed the door open and stepped inside, interrupting AJ's story. "Admiral, I can explain."

The admiral held up his hand, then looked back at AJ. "Continue."

"_Anyways,_" he proceeded, "Aunt Mac and Unca Harm stayed the whooooole weekend together! And we went to the laundry, and Unca Harm looked at Aunt Mac's underwear, and they were sleeping together, and they were gonna take a shower, and they're getting married, and Aunt Mac lost her ring, and Unca Harm found it, and they kissed! _And,_" AJ took a deep breath before finishing, "Aunt Mac is gonna have a baby."

Harm and I stood in the doorway mortified.

/My military career is officially over/

Ya think?

Admiral Chegwidden smiled indulgently at AJ, then looked up at the two of us. He seemed to choose his words carefully, and finally said, "Is, uh…is this true?"

"Uh…" Harm started.

"Well…" I tried.

We looked at each other pleadingly, and for the first time in days, I could tell Harm was doing some serious thinking, but I couldn't hear any of it.

Finally, I took a deep breath, exhaled, then said, "Well, sir…I'm not _pregnant._"

The Admiral pursed his lips and nodded his head. "Uh-huh…."

He finally noticed my ring and said, "We'll need to talk about this. Meanwhile, just keep it out of the office."

Harm and I stared at him in disbelief. He shuffled some papers on his desk, and we still stood there. After a moment, he looked up. "Was there anything else?"

"No, sir."

"Absolutely not."

"Very well," he said. "Dismissed."

We both executed a smart about face and walked quickly out of the room, I ushering AJ in front of me.

"And congratulations," Admiral Chegwidden called to our retreating forms.

Once in the outer office, we stopped and AJ looked at Harm and me appraisingly and said, no doubt quoting some movie, "I think that went well."

Harm and I chuckled, relieved.

Kids.

**_END…FINALLY!_**

To those two of you who still stuck with this story, please read and review. Or don't. I probably don't deserve it anyway.


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